MMS HPCA: Magnetospheric Plasma Ion Composition Measurements, 10-Second Resolution

Five ion species—protons, alpha particles, helium ions, singly charged oxygen, and background counts—are measured across 63 energy levels by the MMS Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration instrument collects data every 10 seconds, corresponding to half a spacecraft spin period, across 16 elevation anodes and azimuths. This Level 2 survey data provides processed moments for analyzing plasma composition in the 1 eV to 40 keV energy range.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma dynamics based on ion species composition data.
• Analyzing energy distribution of charged particles based on measurements across 63 energy levels.
• Studying spacecraft charging effects based on background count measurements.
• Correlating plasma composition with magnetic field data from other MMS instruments.

Strengths

• Measures five distinct ion species (H+, He++, He+, O+, background) for detailed composition analysis.
• Provides energy spectra across 63 discrete levels within a 1 eV to 40 keV range.
• Data is collected at a high temporal resolution of 10 seconds per measurement cycle.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer (HPCA) electrostatic energy analyzer and time-of-flight section on the MMS spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:10:54.000958; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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